The party ended quite amicably on both sides. Tanya didn't see her parents until the end of the party and eventually learned later on that they had left the party earlier than intended. The thought brought a warm smile to her face, but the same wasn't for her siblings, who either blushed in shame or embarrassment.
Tanya rolled her eyes at them. Innocent devils.
She knew that they would be much worse than their parents with their partners. It was a secret that only she knew. This time, a devilish grin came to her face in a full-blown manner.
Alvise sent them off as though he had come for an introduction and was seeking approval for her hand in marriage, causing her family members to misunderstand. A vein popped in her head in anger and frustration. She would deal with her overenthusiastic boss later.
Soon, they headed back with a drop from Alvise who said he couldn't let his 'family' go back alone. Tanya swore even more vehemently to deal with Alvise later.
Soon they arrived home and split up to their various room to refresh and probably gather again to continue from where they had left off. Kids. Tanya mused with a smile.
Tanya got to her room and took a shower. Immediately she came out of the bathroom, she was suddenly dragged and pulled into an embrace before her reaction could set in.
A strong but familiar masculine scent evaded her senses and slowly, she began to loosen up and calm.
"Boss," Tanya coolly spoke and Alvise buried his head in the crook of her neck and inhaled heavily.
"Just a minute," he said weakly, as though he were trying to hold onto something that might disappear soon.
Maybe it was the weakness of his voice or her fatigue; her voice softened greatly, "Let's go to bed then. It's tiring to stand."
Alvise nodded, picked her up, and carried her in his arms, and instinctively, she placed her hands on her chest to prevent her towel from falling. Her head rested on his chest, her ears listening to the lulling sounds of his heart: strong, steady, and very reliable.
Soon, he placed her gently on the edge in a sitting position and took his place beside her. Strong arms once again wrapped Tanya in a secure embrace as though they were protecting her and trying to keep her at the same time. It was odd but very warm.
"Boss," She called out softly as she stroked his back in a circular motion. He tightened his grip on her and breathed on her neck, evoking a pleasant shudder all over her body. He felt her shudder and a smile played on his lips.
"My name Anya… Call my name." He spoke with a voice husky and heavy with emotion.
Tanya blinked in confusion for a moment before she gulped and then fulfilled his wish, "Al… Alvise?"
Alvise breathed in deeply before a smile cracked on his face and an even deeper sigh left his lips. "Anya..."
"What's wrong?" She asked, and Alvise broke the hug but still held on to either side of her arms with a gentle hold.
His head was bowed slightly and his lips were pursed in a thin line. He looked so vulnerable and tired. The bags under his eyes spoke of sleepless and restless nights. She could recognize it at a glance. It was, after all, a reflection of a few of her numerous sufferings.
"I'll just go change out this and bring out the incense burners. Then we'll talk about it on the bed." She spoke with a gentle smile. Alvise's eyes widened and then returned to their original width before he nodded slowly.
Tanya's smile became even softer, and she ruffled his hair, gave him a quick peck on the lips, and took her pajamas from her bedside. She walked to the bathroom to change and she thought about Alvise.
This wasn't the first time something like this happened. Alvise was a broken child. Originally born in a run-down and neglected village that had little to no semblance of civilization, Alvise was a brilliant young boy with ambitions, hopes, and dreams.
A boy with a beautiful appearance that didn't fit his appearance, Alvise was like a fairy. He had an even prettier mother who once worked in the red light district but gave up after her health took a hit from all the stress. After Alvise had reached a certain age, he began fending for himself and his mom with the assistance of his neighbors.
Alvise was a lovely child loved by all.
He was a sunny personality that brightened his environment but all that changed after his primary source of happiness disappeared.
Shortly after his mother's death, Alvise was sold by a relative to a wealthy politician as a doll for his daughter. When Alvise turned twelve, a mysterious group killed off the entire family and razed the mansion to the ground with fire.
When they found him, he was sickly, bruised, and malnourished. The child who had a bright personality was turned into a hollow husk of what he once was. The group stretched a hand to him and promised to give him a life of dignity that was a bit better than this. Alvise didn't care as long as there was a roof, food, and clothes, and he didn't have to continuously give his dignity in a bid to survive; he really couldn't care less.
So, he took their hand and became a part of them. After seven years of suffering, he was finally free.
Entering into their syndicate world, where he was trained and turned into an emotionless war machine who killed without regard for human life. He had dealt with and killed people who were as dirty pigs and had hands in even dirtier deals.
Eventually, his syndicate was swallowed and absolved by an even larger and more influential group. The rebellious ones were killed on the spot while those who were subservient joined and worked as lackeys; working and doing the dirtier and more tasking jobs.
Alvise knew when to bend and when to stand. This earned him respect and adoration, and soon the boss took notice of it and appointed him as his right-hand man. It was with that decision that the head realized that Alvise was his b*st*ard.
After a dry and emotionless reunion of father and son, Alvise was announced as the hidden child of the Abara family by his father and was crowned heir apparent of the organization run by him in secret.
Alvise lived a bland and monotonous life of studying and trying to fit into his new role. After a full decade of that blandness, Alvise was finally ready to become a pawn for his father.
Alvise used his skills and cunning to help his father run his company while still garnering his strength and building an empire of his own from the ground up.
One day, his father mysteriously suffered a cardiac after being declared healthy and passed away a few months later. People said his bad karma had accumulated and was served; others said that he had lived long enough with his wicked acts, but Tanya suspected foul play, and that too from within.
Alvise soon absolved his father's company into his already formidable conglomerate and strengthened his company in the business market, creating a company that was powerful enough to call an empire. He was now on the rank of the powerful and influential. Alvise Abara was the heir and sole owner of the Abara empire.
Alvise also dissolved the underworld gang that had been under his father's leadership and built his syndicate, one more powerful and fitting of the term syndicate than what his father's ever had.
Eventually, he permanently silenced the members of the old group to have no loose ends but Alvise overlooked one thing: A man cannot completely cut off his tail by himself. Especially an old one.
A few had managed to get out and tried to kill him while on his way to work. They had him cornered where they wanted. His men were dead and backup wasn't going to come, seeing that they had signal jammers on them that had specifically programmed to jam his phone's network, disabling him from making any calls outside.
At this moment, Alvise had given up making it out whole. Alive? Maybe. But whole? Not possible.
They had drugged him on his way to his office; an indicator that there was a rat amongst his men who worked on the sides of the enemy. Perhaps, the rat also helped those guys escape.
Alvise fought a seemingly losing battle. Slowly, he began to give up hope of ever being rescued as his strength began failing him as an effect of the drug.
Just as everything began to look bleak, Tanya had come into the picture like a whirlwind. The thought brought a smile to her face. That was three years ago.
The moment Tanya had marked as one of the most memorable days of her life. It was a day she had taken a decision that she knew would bring a huge butterfly effect to the later play of the future of her family.
It was a decision she was sure would protect her family in the advent of her demise.